Emerging Thrust and E & P Prospects for ‘Gas Hydrates’, in Indian Deep-Water Petroleum Provinces Gas Hydrate Modeling and Resource - Assessment Perspectives in off Krishna Godavari Basin

Jagdish P. Giri
Chemistry, Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited, India, Chennai - 600085, India

Presently a sub-economic resource, but realization of Gas Hydrates promises a very significant new source of natural gas to meet future energy on environmental dimension in 21st century. India’s deepwater basins in Arabian sea, Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea have been identified as Frontier Petroleum Provinces with Hydrocarbon potential of 60 trillion cubic meter of Gas Hydrate accumulations. This promising frontier deep waters beyond the continental self edges, derives exploration and production opportunities and deep sea drilling challenges for India’s Deepwater Petroleum Provinces’ Development under New Exploration Licensing Policies, as well.

The paper is emphatically aimed at Gas Hydrate Modeling, quantifying distribution and accumulation of Gas Hydrates in shallow marine sediments off Krishna - Godavari basal shelf in terms of sediments’ geophysical properties, biological, geochemical and physical processes controlling generation, flow, migration and trapping of Methane in these systems on Geothermal Gradient and Vertical Zonation. The fluid flow transport behavior leads to develop a Mathematical Model for Gas Hydrate accumulation in marine sediments of Indian Deepwater Petroleum Provinces. Recent multiple discoveries of approximately 20 - 26 trillion cubic feet of estimated gas in the deepwater blocks under Krishna Godavari Basin off the “Andhra Pradesh Coast”,India, by Reliance Industry and ONGC necessitate to review and E&P profiling of Gas Hydrate Quantification based on Bottom Stimulator Reflector (BSR) Modeling for acquired data validation and further geochemical resource prospecting.

Conclusively, paper derives an E & P Prospect for Gas Hydrate Modeling in terms of marine sedimentary behavior and hydrate zonation in deep marine sediments to warrant economic development of Gas Hydrates, from Indian Deep Water Petroleum Provinces at today’s energy price.

Presentation GEO India Expo XXI, Noida, New Delhi, India 2008©AAPG Search and Discovery